METHODOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE GRADUATION INDICATOR IN THE ECUADORIAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM: FROM MANDATE 14 TO THE 2023 MODEL
Keywords:
Quality assurance; Institutional evaluation; University accreditation; Graduation rateAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v10i19.0931
Abstract
This study analyzes the historical evolution of the graduation rate indicator in the Ecuadorian university system from 2009 to 2023 within the context of quality assurance processes, evaluation, and accreditation in higher education. The objective is to describe methodological changes in the indicator through a review of models issued by agencies responsible for institutional evaluation. Employing a documentary and descriptive methodology applied through the systematic review of technical reports and regulatory documents in force at the main evaluation milestones of the country’s higher education institutions. The review addresses definitions, calculation formulas, time windows, educational levels and assessment criteria to the graduation rate, finding a shift from an approach focused on terminal efficiency institutionally reported toward to formal models utilizing cohort-based measurement, explicit counting rules with quantitative compliance ranges. Changes in definitions, evaluation periods, and calculation criteria limit direct comparisons of results across historical models. It is concluded that the graduation rate must always be interpreted according to the evaluation model that defines it, distinguishing between its regulatory standard and the observed rate.
Keywords: Quality assurance; Institutional evaluation; University accreditation; Graduation rate.
Downloads
References
Andrade Zurita, S. J., Estupiñán Guamaní, M. A., & Rodríguez Cedeño, M. V. (2025). La acreditación en la educación superior ecuatoriana: una revisión de literatura y tendencias actuales. Arandu UTIC, 12(3), 2204–2217. https://doi.org/10.69639/arandu.v12i3.1453
CACES. (2019). Modelo de Evaluación Externa de Universidades Escuelas Politécnicas 2019. https://www.caces.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2019/12/3.-Modelo_Eval_UEP_2019_compressed.pdf
CACES. (2023a). Modelo de Evaluación Externa con fines de Acreditación para el Aseguramiento de la Calidad de las Universidades y Escuelas Politécnicas 2023. https://www.caces.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Modelo-de-Evaluacio%CC%81n-Externa-UEP-2023-1.pdf
CACES. (2023b). Modelo de evaluación externa de Universidades y Escuelas politécnicas 2019 - Armonización 2023. https://www.caces.gob.ec/evaluacion-externa-confines-de-acreditacion-de-las-uep-no-acreditadas-2019/
CACES. (2026, June 4). Listado de universidades y escuelas politécnicas. https://www.caces.gob.ec/listado-de-universidades-y-escuelas-politecnica/
CEAACES. (2013). Informe General sobre la Evaluación, Acreditación y Categorización de las Universidades y Escuelas Politécnicas (proceso 2013). https://universidadsociedadec.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ceaaces-informe-general-eval-accred-categn.pdf
CONEA. (2009a). Evaluación de desempeño institucional de las universidades y escuelas politécnicas del Ecuador. https://cei.epn.edu.ec/Documentos/CONEA/INFORME_FINAL_UNIVERSIDADES_M14.pdf
CONEA. (2009b). Modelo de evaluación de desempeño institucional de las instituciones de educación superior, Mandato Constituyente 14. https://www.upse.edu.ec/index.php?download=7%3Amodelo-de-evaluacion-mandato-14&id=2%3Aplan-de-mejoras-institucional&option=com_phocadownload&view=category
Guanotuña Balladares, G. E., Torres Carrera, G. P., Vásconez Maza, E. C., Mera Viteri, G. A., Monta Jiménez, S. P., Cueva Tupiza, M. D. L. Á., & Lagla Chicaiza, M. P. (2024). Evaluación de la Calidad en la Educación Superior Ecuatoriana: Un Modelo de Indicadores de Estándares. Estudios y Perspectivas Revista Científica y Académica, 4(2), 2220–2246. https://doi.org/10.61384/r.c.a..v4i2.360
Kayyali, M. (2023). An Overview of Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Concepts and Frameworks. International Journal of Management, Sciences, Innovation, and Technology IJMSIT, 4(2), 1–04. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4497492
Marzouk, O. A. (2025). Benchmarking retention, progression, and graduation rates in undergraduate higher education across different time windows. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2498170
Plaza Criollo, L. I., Neira Sancho, M. S., Navarrete Lozada, C. M., & Cardenas Palacios, L. E. (2024). Evaluación y acreditación de la universidad ecuatoriana: desafíos y funciones. RECIMUNDO, 8(2), 327–336. https://doi.org/10.26820/recimundo/8.(2).abril.2024.327-336
Santana Estrada, C., & Santana, J. E. (2022). Nuevo enfoque de calidad en el modelo de evaluación externa de universidades ecuatorianas-2019. Revista Digital Del Doctorado En Educación de La Universidad Central de Venezuela, 8(15), 11–34. https://doi.org/10.55560/arete.2022.15.8.1
Torres-Rentería, S. R., & Escobar-Jiménez, C. (2022). Determinantes de la deserción y permanencia en la carrera de Medicina. Revista Andina de Educación, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.32719/26312816.2022.5.1.6
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 REVISTA CIENTÍFICA MULTIDISCIPLINARIA ARBITRADA YACHASUN - ISSN: 2697-3456
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
